Greenbelt, Maryland - Timothy Carl Johnson, age 52, of Fort Washington, Maryland, pleaded guilty on Jan. 30, 2017, to theft of government property. Johnson, the former automotive fleet program coordinator for FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., admitted he falsely reported the cost of automotive and/or towing services, charging the inflated or fictional costs to his government purchase card, and accepted cash payments from vendors to perform work on FBI vehicles.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Michael Tompkins, Washington Field Office, U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General; and Special Agent in Charge Karl C. Colder of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division.
According to his plea agreement, Johnson was responsible for maintaining government vehicles for use by employees at FBI Headquarters. As part of his duties, Johnson solicited local vendors to perform routine maintenance, tow, repair and detail work for government vehicles at FBI headquarters. The FBI assigned Johnson a government purchase card that he was authorized to use to pay for work on those vehicles.
Johnson admitted that from 2011 through January 2016, he conspired with others to defraud the government by charging inflated or fictional costs for automotive and/or towing services to his government purchase card. Specifically, co-conspirators who supplied automotive and/or towing services billed the government for fictitious services, or inflated their bills. Johnson then authorized payment to the co-conspirators through his government credit card and the co-conspirators provided the fraud proceeds to Johnson in cash. As part of his plea agreement, Johnson will be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the loss, which is at least $20,995.
Johnson faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for June 6, 2017 at 2:30 p.m.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the DOJ Office of the Inspector General, and DEA for their work in the investigation and thanked the FBI, Charles County Sheriff’s Office and Prince George’s County Police Department for their assistance. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Eyler Kaplan, who is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
